The city of Paranaque may be called as the City of Lights, the Mega City by the Bay or ,due to the prominence of Ready-to-wear clothing shops in the area, the Fashion Capital of the Philippines. That aside, the city is also known as one if the busiest location in terms of business outgrowth and is we home to many investment opportunities. To further improve the quality of services provided to its constituents the local administration pursued excellence in the aspect of business permits and licensing process, furthering investment opportunities and lending an open hand to the citizens who are interested in putting up their own businesses, making the city more desirable for individuals who seek economic growth and social development. The initiative of the local government proved to be effective since the city BPLO was recognized as one of the best in the country. One may even consider this thrust towards encouraging business activities and economic growth as one of the reason behind the locale’s prominence, although this disparity between neighboring areas have rested to a backlash in the form of congestion and traffic.

As was repeatedly emphasized in the previous entries, the group decided on focusing on this government initiative. Evidently, the actual situation in the city boasts of the abundance of MSMEs or Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The BPLO office is remarkably packed with clients. However, it is also noteworthy to emphasize the actual reduction of the 19 step process to 3 steps, thereby eliminating red tape and making it easier and far more convenient for citizens to avail of the service. Furthemore, numerous plans for expansion and development are thought of by the administration.

As expected, there are notable discrepancies with the excessively appealing presentation of the administration and the actual feedback from the citizens who avail of the actual services.

While there are numerous factors that could affect the actual feedback and the process, there is an obvious interplay between the two. As such it is important to implement genuine citizen participation in order to appropriately craft initiatives that would actually benefit the populace. Participation does not simply come in the form of mere suggestion. Instead, genuine active citizen participation would entice both the government and civil society to effect realistic and appropriate development.

-bbq